Following nearly annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane found that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn